Before he even reaches the bottom step, Leroy can't help but smell the delicious aroma of breakfast and coffee already waiting for him. He's human enough to realize, with a contented smile plastered on his face, that this is one part of this relationship he's truly spoiled on already. Entering the kitchen, a few steps later, the smile is turned upside down into a frown as he takes in the sight of his lover staring off into the distance as if he's got something unpleasant on his mind.
After the glorious night last night and this morning they've just had wrapped up in each other and each other's arms, there's no reason that comes to mind that should have Tim troubled like this. Deciding to grab this problem by the horns until it's beaten into submission, Leroy jumps in by kissing Tim full on the mouth, knowing it will bring him back from his thoughts with a bang.
Tim is quick to return the kiss, but just as quick to pull back so he can breathe again after having been caught unaware like that. "Hey." He offers quietly.
"Somethin' on your mind?"
Tim blushes furiously in response to the question that obviously hit close to home on a very personal level.
The older man smiles even as his eyebrows go up. "Really, Tim?"
"Ha ha." Tim laughs nervously. But, he says nothing more.
Leroy's beginning to worry for real now. "Tim? "
"Do you think maybe we could work on something?" Tim asks quietly, his eyes slowly coming up off the floor and finding Leroy's. "The next time?"
"Name it." Leroy vows without even having to know what it is. Whatever it is, it's important enough to his lover that he's asking for it and that's good enough for the older man.
"Not sure how to put this…" Tim scoffs at himself as he looks almost shyly in Leroy's direction. "But, I would really like it if I …could hold off longer before…." Now he looks away in obvious embarrassment.
"Tim." His lover comes to him. Standing next to him but not touching him, he speaks quietly. "Thought we talked about this."
Tim nods, his eyes coming up to meet Leroy's for a moment before glancing away nervously. "We did. It's just…I can't help it if I'm still embarrassed to talk about it."
"Nuthin' to be embarrassed about between us, remember?"
"Except this." Tim exhales deeply as he opens himself up to the man he loves and trusts with that love.
"Leroy. I want to be able to keep going better than that…than last night…. to keep you going; to intensify it for you; for us. I don't want to be keeping us from that."
"Tim." Leroy says in the quiet, concerned voice he knows gets to the younger man the most when they're not being intimate.
Tim looks back at him, his heart in his eyes, the almost anxious look on his face, tearing at Leroy's heart.
"Last night, Beautiful. Wouldn't change ANY of it! For anything!"
Finding what seems to calm and comfort him in his lover's gaze, Tim smiles softly. "It was for me, too, Leroy. And, I'm not trying to take away from that. Last night was incredible, this morning, too and I'll treasure what we shared and how much it meant to both of us forever. It's just … I want ….I need to do better….sigh…that first time…..when we…everytime we…I definitely need to do better.
"There a reason you let it bother you so much before you let me in?" Leroy asks with concern.
"It's not easy to talk about. I mean, it's the reason I almost lost you to begin with, remember?" Tim admits with guilt in his tone. "I know I need to work on it, because it means I'm not doing right by you."
"Says who?" Leroy asks him calmly.
"Me." Tim answers back without hesitation. "You deserve better; more."
Leaning in for a gentle kiss, Leroy quietly sets him straight when he pulls back, looking him straight in the eye. "Got nuthin' to fix, Tim. Love you just the way you are."
He knows that Tim knows he doesn't lie so the doubt on the younger man's face now is directed at his own ability to be who Leroy wants him to be. It's been the one facet of their relationship Tim's always worried about. One that the older man wants eradicated once and for all. Right. Here. Right. Now.
"Ever think maybe I enjoy settin' you off like that – bein' the one to take the edge off –for both of us?" He asks the younger man, his genuine desire, his love, clear in his expression and the way he begins carding Tim's hair.
Tim beams brighter than he's ever beamed before, gratitude nearly pouring out of him as he reverently responds while leaning into Leroy's touch. "Thank you."
Leaning in to kiss him again, Leroy keeps it soft, inviting and promising – for later. Pulling back, he smiles affectionately at him, "Dinner here tonight?"
Tim nods as he replies enthusiastically. "I'll cook! I'll have it ready for you when you get home – seven?"
"Seven it is." Leroy gives back with that megawatt smile he serves only to Tim in moments like this.
"I love you." The young man says quietly, reverently.
"I know ya do, Tim." Leroy offers gruffly as he cards Tim's hair one last time. "Love you, too."
With his own megawatt smile, Tim responds with his heart in his eyes. "I know you do, Leroy. And I'll treasure that, always."
******End Flashback*****
"….oss?" Brought back from the recollection of the morning he and Tim'd had together before coming to work; the last time they'd seen each other or spoken to each other today, by the rather urgent sound of his Senior Field Agent trying to get his attention, Gibbs frowns as he looks at the younger man, but says nothing.
Vance chimes in before anything can be said about the Team Leader's lapse into fog land a moment ago. "It's barely been an hour since Agent McGee was taken. Before we turn this into a massive man hunt gone wrong, let's track his cell. Ms. Scuito on her way in to assist?
Shaking his head now, Gibbs answers firmly, his eyes stormy and unwavering. "No!"
The room goes silent with shock. Tony is the first one to break through it. "Boss? Did she…?"
"I don't care what she's done, Gibbs! I want her in here helping to find my missing agent!" Vance orders in his no nonsense tone. "Keep me updated!"
Without any discussion, the trio of agents return to the squad room, with Tony deliberately lagging behind, tugging slightly on the boss' shirt. "Boss."
Gibbs stops and turns to look at his agent, silently waiting for him to speak his peace.
His concern blatantly obvious, Tony puts the question out there that he needs answered. "What was that up there? Did Abby do something to you and….?"
The Team Leader sighs. "She followed all of us to the diner."
Tony's eyes go wide. He'd had no idea she'd done that!
Gibbs isn't done. "Watched us. The whole time we were there, Tony."
Right away, the younger man understands what the boss is pissed about. All of it. "She was spying on us? Oh joy. She reads lips. So that means she figured out…"
"Yeah." Gibbs breathes out tiredly.
"She's not the only one." Tony tells him quietly as his eyes deliberately travel to where Ziva's sitting at her desk now on the other side of the divider behind Tony's desk. "Ziva double backed that night because she was worried. Probably saw the same thing Abby did. But she's happy for you two. And I'm getting' there, I promise. But, I take it Abby's not."
"Understatement, Tony." Gibbs replies as he turns to head back to his desk. He hasn't gone three steps before the unexpected happens.
"Wait, Boss!" Tony calls him back in a stage whisper.
"What, DiNozzo?"
"Earlier today, Ziva said she ran into Abby in the deli and she was really, really nervous, rude and defensive AND she left in such a hurry, she abandoned her lunch. Now Tim's missing. We don't believe…"
"In coincidences." Gibbs mutters as he storms away, heading to his desk, opening his cell phone to call the Lab Rat as he moves.
*****NCIS*******
With his lap fully taken over by a naked female doing her damnedest to get him to manhandle her, Tim looks for an escape route, quickly finding one – in his thoughts. Mentally opening the door to his life with Leroy, his mind is soon wrapped in a protective, gentle, sympathetic and soothing cocoon loaded with memories and emotions that buoy him now. He basks in treasured conversations between them and the emotions that were there in those moments, all safely tucked away in there playing on repeat, completely tuning out what's going on in his physical world:
"I've watched you fight to keep this away from Tony's nosey snooping; consistently turn down the team drink nights and movie nights. Noticed the way you've been avoiding me here lately but couldn't stop staring at me for the past few weeks. Knew something was botherin' ya. Wasn't hard to put it together when I saw you in that bar tonight…Doesn't change what I just said. You don't have to hide it anymore."
But you…?"
"Wanna be here for you."
"As my wingman."
"For starters."
"Do you trust me?"
"With my life."
"If this is really what you want, then this is just the beginning. I promise you that."
Tim breathed out a sigh of relief and he smiled tremulously. "Okay."
"I promise you this is real. You know I don't say anything I don't mean."
"I'm not judging you, Tim. Not my place to do that when I've been where you are…There's always something about ourselves that we keep locked away from the rest of the world, Tim. …. Nothin' wrong with it. It's all a matter of personal choice and keeping it all private…. You don't have to hide it anymore."
"I promise you this is real…"Have I ever lied to you...You're afraid to tell me what's really going through that brain of yours. Don't be. I meant what I said, Tim. I'm here for you. Talk to me."
"Is this part of 'for starters'? Tim asked so quietly, it was almost a whisper
"This is part of wherever you want this to go, Tim." Gibbs promised him as he kissed him gently on the temple. …"
"Remember what I said tonight. You're safe now."
Tim leaned into the older man's rare demonstration of affection, still very hungry for it.
Sliding his hand back around Tim's head and down to his neck just under his hair, "Everything'll work out…..
"It's okay, Tim. I get it now. You trust me with your life. It's your heart you haven't been able to trust anyone with in a long time. Not even yourself. It's understandable with my track record with relationships, that you'd be afraid to trust me with it."
"For trusting me with your heart now. Thank you."…
"I promised I wasn't walking out on you and you know I don't say things I don't mean. Wherever this goes. I won't turn you away. Nothing you can do will make that happen."
"Will you stay with me?" Tim worries anxiously …
With his eyes shining with truth and desire, Gibbs raises up to look him straight in the eye and answer him without hesitation, bringing one hand up to gently cup Tim's face again as he speaks. "I promise you, Tim, I'm not leavin'."…
"Do you really think you have to hide what you're feeling from me?" the tone's spoken soothingly into his ear, compassionate and coaxing
All Tim could do was shake his head in denial. Lifting his head back up, he searched the older man's eyes yet again for the strength, honesty and trust he'd always found there.
"I won't hurt you." …..
"I'm gonna show you how you should be treated, Tim."…
"I love the sound of my name across your lips like this."….
"So long as this is what you really want, we'll go as far as you want us to go."…
"Just relax…. I've got ya. …I promise you, Tim." …
"I'm here with you because I want to be. …. do NOT tell me that I'm settling – just because you can't see what I see in you."…
"I promise you, Tim. This is just the beginning. It only gets better from here."
"I promised you this was real and I meant it."…
"Want you to get used to this. Get in your head that you do deserve this and more."…
"Close your eyes and tell me the first thing that comes to your mind. Tim?"
"You?"
"What about me?"
"I want to make you feel good, just like you've done for me."
"Sounds like the makings of a pretty good relationship."
"It does, doesn't it?"
"We can agree to do our damnedest not to let it hurt us, at least."
"You got that right." The older man declares with heartfelt conviction as he pulls Tim back to him and nestles closer to him…
"I made you a promise."
"That you weren't going anywhere."…
Relaxed. Wanted. Kissed. Stroked. Loved! Leroy!
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"Vests." Leroy answers without missing a beat, the quiet seriousness in his voice leaving no room for doubt that this is coming from his heart. "From now on."…
"I love you."
"I know ya do, Tim." Leroy offers gruffly as he ruffles Tim's hair. "Love you, too."
"Got nuthin' to fix, Tim. Love you just the way you are."
"…Tim. Love you just the way you are."
"…just the way you are."
"…Love you."
*****NCIS*******
She can feel her phone vibrating on her hip as she watches the ladies take turns trying their damnedest to get Tim to respond to them and to take from them what they're offering. One after another, sits down on top of his hands, gyrating on what has to be a painful erection by now, swinging their boobs in his face as he passively continues to stare over their shoulders eyes blank, his hands relentlessly interlaced together pushed down across his lap, making it uncomfortable for the ladies, another reason they're complaining now.
All of this for nothing! She realizes angrily. Still watching, she snatches her still buzzing phone from her pocket, snaps it open and barks into it. "What!"
"Lose the attitude Abby. Get back to the yard now. Need your help with something!" *click*
Abby frowns. Great. Just great!
*****NCIS*******
The string of lap dancers paid to not only get a rise out of Tim, but to get him to give up and give it up, right there in the chair if he wants to – all find themselves frustrated beyond their normal tolerance levels. The man's hands have steadfastly remained spread across his lap; fingers interlaced with each other and hard pressed into the flesh of his own hands.
Although his erection can't be seen now, at least one of them noticed that he had a pretty good one, and knows he has to be very uncomfortable and in need of their services, but he's making no moves whatsoever to use anything at his disposal to find his release or even seek it. What's worse - he won't even look at them. From the side of the room, still standing in the shadows, Abby has watched all of this with growing irritation. If she didn't know any better, she'd say he's forced himself to send his mind elsewhere – but she knows he's not capable of doing that, so he must really be concentrating hard on not reacting.
They've never seen anything like it. One solid hour of trying by not just one, but four ladies has produced zero results beyond this frustration that has now caused the ladies to give up in protest at what they believe to be a breach of contract for tonight's services rendered. From her spot standing next to her friend in the shadows, Abby watches in disbelief while the group of women stalk up to the club owner and demand payment in full, despite the 'gay customer who's wasting our time'. Whatever it is Tim's doing all this time, it's biting her plan in the ass now and she's not happy about.
Summarily dismissing them with the promise that they will get paid the full amount promised, Kenny turns to Abby with fury strewn across his face "Gay? Are you out of your mind? That's why you wanted me to bring him here? To 'fix' him? "
"Well…yeah." She admits reluctantly.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Abby? I thought you said he was your best friend? Tell me, this isn't your idea of a sick joke! What did you think he was gonna do? Suddenly decide to drop the person he's in a relationship with for this scene? Really? Best friend? Seriously?"
"He is my best friend! And he's not gay – he's bi!" Abby defends, her tone hushed yet angry. She deliberately ignores the rest of his rant, concentrating solely on the part that offends her the most.
"Waaait a minute! This is the guy that was crazy about you that you couldn't wait to dump back when, isn't it? Oh, my God! I get it now! He's moved on…with a man…. so you're getting your payback? Really? And you used me to do it? Do you realize what's gonna happen to me now? I kidnapped him, Abby! For you! You said whatever it takes and that's what I did – for you! Damn it, why didn't you tell me everything? I hope you're happy because now I'm going to jail! I'm gonna lose everything! My business, my clientele! My wife! Everything I've spent my entire adult life working for – gone when I go to jail for this! And for what? To help you fix what isn't even broken in the first place? God, Abby – I can't even…get away from me – JUST GO! And take him with you! NOW!"
"Kenny! He can't know I'm part of this!" Abby's horrified whisper is loud in the echos through the suddenly quiet room. The ladies have all disappeared, presumably to get dressed. And now the music's been turned off – the party's over. Even the extra leering men have disappeared, gone back to work, no longer intriqued by what's going on with the handcuffed guy who's colder than a fish. "That was the whole reason I asked you to take care of getting him here!"
"That's YOUR problem! I'm done with this! You're on your own! Not bad enough I'm going to jail over this, now you want me to keep helping you?" The angry man answers in a voice that's shaking with the fury he's having obvious trouble containing.
"I won't say anything." From across the room, the sound of Tim's voice shocks both people standing in the shadows. Lowering his voice now that he has their attention, he says what he has to. "Just uncuff me and I'll walk out of here without looking back and we'll forget this ever happened. You're right I am a Federal Agent. And I give you my word that this never happened – if you let me go right now, after you wipe my wallet down before you give it back to me."
In awe of the promise being made to him not to let his life get ruined by this, Abby's friend walks over to Tim and stops just behind him as he quietly asks him a question. "Why would you do that for me?"
"Not just for you. For both of us – and those we love. This gets out – it'll be a nightmare we'll never live down. Neither of us deserves that. The people we love sure as hell don't deserve it either."
"Done, man. Look, I'm sorry. Really." The club owner says as he tosses Tim's wallet down on the table in front of him.
"I know. Look, I've been sucked in by her manipulations several times, myself, always at my own expense and never to this extreme, but I still know what it feels like to be used by her. And to prove to you that I don't want your life ruined over this, I'm gonna keep my word and not look back. You know I haven't seen your face yet. SO, you know that if I don't see it at all – then I can't identify you." Tim tells him calmly, no where as angry as he'd been when he'd first figured where he'd been brought to. This isn't this guy's fault – well, beyond the whole, 'could have said no' thing, that is.
"You know I own this place. And you know what it' called – or you will when you see it as you leave." Kenny reminds him as he lets him know he's not a complete idiot.
"I didn't hear what you just said. My ears must have stopped working." Tim says calmly. "Because the last thing I heard you say was, "I'm sorry."
Right away the club owner and business man understands what the man in front of him is saying; the free pass he's being handed. "Right. I'm glad they did. There ya go. Free as a bird. And thank you!"
"You have a back office you can go to?" Tim asks unexpectedly as he remains sitting in the chair without moving a muscle.
"Well, sure."
"Good. Go find something to do in there for at least ten minutes. Oh and you might wanna enforce the no talking order on those girls – maybe threaten their freedom if they open their mouths. Those dirtbags that were here, too"
"The ladies, right. Dirtbags?" Now Kenny's confused. Who is this guy talking about?
"The guys in here yelling at the ladies like they were whores?"
"Oh those guys! Wait they're not dirtbags. They're good guys that work for me. I pay them to do that to liven up the crowds."
"If they treat women like that, in my book, they're dirtbags." Tim insists.
"Oh. So, you've never been in…"
'A place like this? No. And I wouldn't ever be. Anyone who knows me knows that." Tim states firmly, his voice carrying through the room.
"Oh. Well, you're free now. And I'm going to my office. Thank you again, man."
"Don't mention it. Seriously. And don't ever do anything like this again. And we'll call it even." Tim offers.
"Done!" Abby's friend promises as he disappears from the room, his footsteps loud on the carpeted floor his movements so hurried.
Mentally counting to 100 in his head, Tim gets to his feet and turns, his eyes looking at the figure standing frozen in the shadows. For a long, uncomfortable silent minute, he stares, willing them to speak up – to confess – to apologize – to blow up at him for not playing the game - to do something.
Unwilling to lose another minute to this nightmare, he turns back and heads out the way he'd been brought in, his memory serving him well enough that he avoids any rooms on the back hallway and walks straight out the back door, his feet not stopping until he's walked down the alley, away from the front of the building, and continued on for two blocks. With a tremendous sigh of relief, he catches the metro bus conveniently stopped at the bus stop there.
He doesn't even give a damn where it's going, so long as it's away from here.
